knowing that the reputation of Selina's immense fortune was already sufficiently extended, had determined to consider nothing in this her first appearance, but how best to heighten her natural loveliness. The style of her dress was of the chastest simplicity. Her luxuriant hair, "when unadorned, adorned the most," shone in no borrowed ornament, but every tress was arranged by the nicest hand of art, “then best exercised when least displayed." No jewels shed round her their meretricious glare; her gown of pure white seemed as spotless as the robe of innocence-but its beauty was not the effect of chance: no fold was unimpressed with the finest touch experienced taste could bestow; and, as Lady Eltondale turned her eyes on the beautiful girl, thus moulded to all the external perfection she could have desired, she smiled at the anticipation of the triumphs that awaited her.

The frequent knocks, and rapidly repeated succession of names, announced to Selina that the Ides of March were come. Lady Eltondale took her station in the most conspicuous part of the rooms, for the purpose of receiving her guests; and never was the fascinating elegance of her manners more conspicuously displayed than on such occasions. At first she kept Selina leaning on her arm, for the purpose of showing her blushing charms to all, and of actually introducing her to a favoured few. But the rooms rapidly filling, and the music being commenced, Lady Eltondale left Miss Seymour under the peculiar protection of the old Dutchess of Saltoun, whose countenance showed how truly she was delighted with her young acquaintance. But Lady Eltondale, in withdrawing from Selina, did not cease to observe all her motions. Nor was she a little gratified at the universal murmur of applause her appearance excited, thus bursting into view in all the heightened effect of unexpected beauty. All the fashionable beaux in the room crowded round the new star, expressing, in all the variety of tones and gestures, their admiration of her loveliness: at

last, their profuse compliments confusing, rather than gratifying Selina, she looked anxiously round for her aunt, and perceived her standing in earnest conversation with two gentlemen, in one of whom, with equal surprise and pleasure, she recognized Augustus, and the other she rightly conjectured to be Lord Ossel

stone.

CHAPTER XXI.

Quando muovo le luci a mirar voi,
La forma che nel cor m'impressa Amore,
Io mi sento agghiacciar dentro e di fuore,
Al primo lampeggiar de' raggi moi.
A le nobil maniere affiso poi,

A le rare virtuti, al gran valore,
Ragionarmi pian piano, odo nel core.*

ARIOSTO.

To account for the unexpected appearance of Lord

Osselstone and Mordaunt together at Lady Eltondale's party, it will be necessary briefly to mention, that, soon after Augustus had left Mrs. Galton at Bath, the Earl had arrived there, and accidentally renewed their

* When tremblingly I raise my eyes,
To view that form, which in my breast
The hand of Love has deep impress'd,
My shiv'ring frame, in sudden trance,
Congeals beneath thy lightning glance ;-
But soon my heart, in broken sighs,
Renews the tale it told before,
And, counting all thy beauties o'er,
Dwells on thy talents, virtues rare,
Thy mind so pure, thy form so fair,
Till even hope amid the whispers dies.

N. B. Freezing beneath a lightning glance, in the original-a fair

example of Italian concetti.

acquaintance. The frequent opportunity of intercourse, which all such places afford, having produced a degree of unexpected association between her and the Earl, it was not unnatural, that the nephew of the one and the favourite of the other, should frequently become the subject of their discourse; and Mrs. Galton delighted in expatiating on the fine character of her dear Augustus, with whom she kept up a constant and confidential correspondence.

There were few characters so much respected by Lord Osselstone, as that of Mrs. Galton. Candour and simplicity were the qualities of all others, which, by not calling forth from him the defensive armour of distrust and penetration, left his heart more open to the impressions of real worth. The Earl knew that on common subjects Mrs. Galton could have no interest in appearing to him other than she really was; and on the subject of Augustus in particular, though he sometimes mentally accused her of exaggeration, he was perfectly convinced she was uniformly sincere. She once, in her zealous friendship, communicated to his Lordship a part of Augustus's correspondence with herself; and to this transcript of his mind, which was incontestably written without design of being read by a third person, did Lord Osselstone give more credit than to her partial representation of the original.

soon

The consequence of these communications became afterward apparent. Lord Osselstone removed to London; and one day meeting Augustus in the street, he accosted him with so much of the suaviter in modo, that his at first unbending pride was finally subdued. For never yet had Lord Osselstone encountered a rock which he could not dissolve, though by more dulcet means than those attributed to the Carthaginian hero; and the Alpine snow, which had hitherto enveloped both uncle and nephew, being once thawed, a frequency of intercourse, as unsought as unexpected, on the part of Mordaunt, had taken place between them: not that they were yek VOL. I.

15

intimate, or appeared likely to become so. A certain magic circle seemed to surround Lord Osselstone; and though the politeness and condescension of his manners attracted others to its very verge, there was still a secondary, though invisible repulsive power, that forbade approach beyond its well-defined limits.

Augustus now received frequent invitations to Osselstone House, both for large dinner parties, and for the still more flattering distinction of a tête à tête ; but though he daily met with considerate and even kind attentions from the Earl, he could not help still feeling he was more his patron than his friend. Lord Osselstone frequently concluded a tête à tête dinner, in which he had exerted every charm of conversation for the entertainment of his guest, at the same time eliciting all the varied powers of understanding that guest possessed, by proposing that he should accompany him to those higher circles of fashion, which the Earl still occasionally frequented; and in those crowded assemblies where there is so often" company without society, and dissipation without pleasure," the heir to Lord Osselstone's earldom was always welcome, even where the untitled Augustus Mordaunt would scarcely have been noticed.

It may be supposed that Augustus received, with no little trepidation, the card his uncle presented him with for Lady Elondale's assembly. For a moment he hesitated whether or not to accept it; but the thought of being once more in the same room with Selina soon overbalanced his wounded feelings. As he followed his uncle up the sumptuous staircase in Portman Square, while his heart fluttered between pleasure and despondency, his mind had wandered back to the scenes of Deane Hall, and days long since gone by." By a natural illusion Selina's figure had always floated before his fancy, as he had last seen it clothed in the sable garb of wo, with the tear of regret resting on her pallid cheek.

46

How different was the blooming form that now presented itself, as at the moment of his entering the room his eye intuitively singled her out from the crowd that surrounded her. She stood like the queen of beauty receiving the homage of all around, her eyes sparkling with animation, her whole figure beaming in joy. "Good God, how lovely!" he involuntary exclaimed. But as his protracted gaze discovered the alterations her manners and appearance had undergone in the few months she had been under the tuition of Lady Eltondale, a cold chill ran through his veins, as he recollected the possibility that her mind might be equally changed; and renewing his scrutinizing glance, he shuddered at the external improvement that had first extorted his admiration, and sighed to think of the lovely artless girl, who would once have flown to meet him with all the innocence of undisguised delight.

But though Augustus had thus instantly recognized Selina, though his eyes had followed her every step, and watched her every motion, she had not then discovered him. The moment she did perceive him, her first impulse was to move towards the spot on which he stood. But she had scarcely taken a few steps, when she as involuntarily stopped. She became embarrassed, and had she been more experienced in the waywardness of the human heart, she would better have known why, with conscious timidity, she hesitated to approach him she was most delighted to behold. Augustus watched her approach, and had advanced a few steps to meet it, but misconstruing her delay, he turned away with a movement of pique and ill-defined jealousy, entering into apparently interesting conversation with a very pretty girl who stood near him. At the moment when Selina came near enough to overhear what he was saying, he was busily employed in making gal. lant apologies to his new friend for not having called